What I Eat During Competitions {WIAW}

As you know from yesterday’s weekend recap, I was up at Yale for the Ivy squash scrimmages. Since this was my first tournament/competition in a while, it really got me thinking about my pre-match meals.

A while back, my coach, Chris, interviewed me for his own blog (Serious Squash). I already shared part of the interview here, but have been saving the rest of it for this post- What I eat during a tournament!

Although I am a big believer of the “train how you want to compete” philosophy, I find that my nutrition during a competition really does need to be extra precise. Over the years as I’ve learned more about proper nutrition and training, my rituals and habits are now almost down to a science. Although I’ve got it pretty down pat now, I do have to warn you that almost all of my knowledge has come from trial and error. What I mean by this is: what works for me, may not be best for you. If you do try some of my tips, please keep this in mind!

Breakfast

My Breakfast Guidelines

Most of my breakfasts are around the 500-600 calorie mark, and although I don’t count calories, I’ve found that I feel my best on court if I have a healthy well rounded breakfast that is in this range. More than this will send me into the lethargic stage, whereas less than this will leave me hungry by the time I am getting on court.

Some exceptions: When I am extremely nervous (usually before races, which are also early in the morning), or before a really big match, I don’t eat as much, and try to listen to my body. I find that the adrenaline compensates for the under eating, and that I actually perform better on a slightly empty stomach under these circumstances.

What are some typical pre-match/pre-race breakfasts?

And, if I can’t find oatmeal or Greek yogurt, I can do a whole wheat bagel or toast with PB or AB and a banana.

Breakfast Foods I Avoid

Eggs and omelettes. I find that if they’re not cooked properly, they can sit funnily in your stomach. Also, I don’t crave salty things in the morning. If I have an evening or afternoon match I can eat eggs a few hours before, but if it’s a morning match, I try to stay away from them.

Pancakes and french toast. When I was in high school, I was famous (well, not famous, but it was a trend) for getting a large crepe from DeDutch, French toast, or chocolate chip pancakes (with whipped cream!) before matches. And you know what? It worked just fine for the most part. I don’t know if it’s because “ignorance is bliss” or because my body actually can’t function at the same level with those foods in my stomach, but I don’t touch them before matches anymore. They are too heavy, and sit in my stomach making me feel lethargic. I don’t even eat them before training sessions (mostly because I like to train how I compete), and try to leave these special indulgences for off-days, or as a post-tournament/race treat.

Lunch

I like to keep it simple, have a sandwich or substantial salad. My body is pretty good at telling me if it “needs” a sandwich, which usually happens in between tough training sessions, when it’s craving carbs.

My Lunch Guidelines

Nothing fried or greasy.

No red meat (it takes too long to digest)

Must have some lean protein (fish/chicken/turkey, or beans)

Vegetables (they also help re-hydrate you!)

Keep it on the lighter side (around 500-600 calories for a healthy meal)

Dinner

I am much more flexible when it comes to dinner, and I don’t have to do the boring” grilled chicken and vegetables” route. I actually like having Indian food, Mexican food, or something even more exotic, just as long as it’s not greasy.

Of course, I make sure it fits the “eat clean” bill, but I don’t worry about straying from red meat or any other specific foods.

Questions:

Do you eat any differently during competitions?

What are some of your favourite pre-race/match foods?

Last but not least, I’m linking up with Jenn for What I Ate Wednesday, since, let’s face it, this post is all about food!

Thanks Ashley! Oh yeah, I’ve definitely had some “bad” moments with pre-competition nutrition! If you want to talk about it, shoot me an email @ squashonsquashblog@gmail.com, or if you’ve got specific questions I could just answer them on the blog! Warning: I could probably talk about race-day/competition nutrition for hooouurssss…:)

My pre race meals are pretty much the same. I try to eat a lot of calories and usually oatmeal, banana and peanut butter. But like you said, if I’m really nervous I don’t push it and usually eat less. I find race nutrition by far the hardest thing to nail down so it’s awesome reading about what you do and what works for you

This was really interesting! I’m an athlete myself, so I always like to see what other athletes eat. I know exactly what you mean about eating the right breakfast – oatmeal with nut butter is perfect for me! I used to eat mcdonald’s pancakes before every xc meet but not anymore, haha. I don’t know how I did that!